1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a gate with a gate leaf which can be moved between a closed position and an open position; and has a plurality of gate leaf elements, which can be tilted with respect to each other around tilt axes which are parallel to each other; a door, which is integrated into the gate leaf and comprises a door leaf, which with respect to the gate leaf elements adjacent to it in the direction of the tilt axes, can be swung around a pivot axis which is essentially perpendicular to the tilt axes; when closed, is accommodated in an opening in the gate leaf; and when closed, is preferably essentially parallel to the plane of the gate leaf; a stabilizing arrangement, which opposes the deformation of the gate leaf. The invention also relates to a safety device for gates of this type.
2. Description of the Related Art
Gates with gate leaves which have a plurality of gate leaf elements able to tilt with respect to each other around parallel tilt axes are used in the form of garage doors and in the form of industrial gates to close off entryways in garages and industrial buildings. In both cases, the gate leaf is usually in a essentially vertical plane when in the closed position, and in an overhead horizontal plane when in the open position. Guide rails are usually used to guide the movement of the gate leaf between the closed position and the open position. These guide rails have vertical sections, which are essentially straight and essentially parallel to the lateral edges of the gate leaf when the gate is closed; the rails also have more-or-less straight, horizontal sections, which are essentially parallel to the edges of the gate leaf when the gate is open; and finally the rails have curved sections, which connect the two straight sections. So that the gate leaf can travel along the curved sections, the gate leaf elements of the gate leaf are connected to each other in such a way that they can tilt with respect to each other around tilt axes which are perpendicular to the guide rails.
When a person wants to leave a room closed off by a gate of this type, the door leaf must be moved in its entirety from the closed position to the open position. In the case of industrial gates, the leaf can be 5 m wide or more. This is associated with a considerable load on the mechanical elements of the gate leaf, and it also takes a significant amount of time. To solve these problems, it has already been proposed that a door be integrated into the gate leaf, this door having a door leaf, which can be pivoted with respect to the adjacent gate leaf elements around a pivot axis which is essentially perpendicular to the tilt axes and which, in the closed position of the gate leaf, extends essentially in a vertical plane. A convenience door of this type makes it possible to leave the room closed by the gate leaf without having to open the entire gate leaf. It is necessary only to open the door leaf integrated into the gate leaf by swinging it around the pivot axis. So that the gate leaf containing the integrated door leaf can be opened, the door leaf of such designs also usually consists of a plurality of door leaf elements, which can tilt with respect to each other around axes which are collinear to the tilt axes.
In these types of designs, it must be guaranteed that, when the gate leaf in which the door leaf is integrated is in the open position, i.e., the position in which the gate leaf is in a essentially horizontal position, it cannot sag in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the gate leaf. In addition, it must be guaranteed during the course of the closing operation that the gate leaf elements located on both sides of the door leaf do not spread apart from each other in the direction of the tilt axes. This problem is especially pronounced in the case of industrial gates in which gate leaf drive devices with traction means at the two lateral edges of the gate leaf are connected to the gate leaf elements which are at the bottom when the gate is closed. In these designs, the action of the traction means on the lateral edges of the gate leaf can promote the tendency of the gate leaf elements located next to the door leaf elements to spread apart in the direction of the tilt axes.
In conventional gates of the type described above, the required stability can be achieved with the help of stabilizing arrangements in the form of box frames, which completely enclose the opening which accommodates the door leaf and which are attached to adjacent gate leaf elements. The frame element forming the bottom edge of the door opening is usually attached to a cutout made in the lower gate leaf element to form the bottom edge. Sufficient stability of the overall construction is achieved in this way with the help of the lower gate leaf element, which extends here over the entire width of the gate leaf, and the lower case element. Nevertheless, the lower gate leaf element and the lower case element attached to it cooperate to form an edge over which it is easy to trip. For this reason, the conventional convenience doors installed in gate leaves are not recognized as escape routes.
To solve this problem associated with the use of conventional convenience doors, a further development of the known gates is proposed in WO 01/055,543, in which the door leaf mounted in the gate leaf extends all the way to the bottom when the gate is closed to avoid the creation of a trip edge. It is claimed that the gate according to the document just cited can be given the stability which the overall construction must have when in the open position and during the closing movement by providing it with a stabilizing arrangement in the form of an arresting device, which opposes the movement of the door leaf relative to the adjacent gate leaf elements when the gate leaf is in the open position. For this purpose, the gate known from the previously mentioned document has at least one thrust pin at the bottom of the door case arrangement or at the bottom of the door leaf. This pin can slide horizontally, parallel to the tilt axes, and, when in the arresting position, engages in an opening in the case or in the door leaf. In addition, the stabilizing arrangement of the known gate designed in the form of the arresting device comprises a locking bar element, which can pivot around an axis parallel to the pivot axis. When the thrust pin slides into the opening, it pushes the locking bar aside. This locking bar element has a latch-like end which grips the edge of an abutment on the door or gate segment and latches itself in place there. This is supposed to prevent the gate leaf elements at the sides of the door leaf from moving apart in the horizontal direction in the main plane of the gate and thus to prevent the previously described formation of a gap between the door leaf and the case or the adjacent gate leaf elements during the opening or closing movement of the gate leaf.
When the gates described in WO 01/055,543 are put into service, however, it has been found that, in spite of the measures described above, the unavoidable play in the movement of the thrust pin and the locking bar element—unavoidable for the sake of ensuring reliable operation—still allows a considerable gap to form between the door leaf and the adjacent gate leaf elements during the opening and closing movement of the gate leaf. In addition, the overall gate leaf, when in the open position, sags to an unacceptable degree in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the gate leaf. In view of these problems, the proposal has already been made that the gates described in WO 01/055,543 be improved by providing the arresting device forming the stabilizing arrangement with at least one arresting element which can move in a plane essentially perpendicular to the tilt axes and preferably essentially parallel to the pivot axis. This elaboration can prevent the previously described gap formation, but a stabilizing arrangement designed in this way is complicated to manufacture.